The Searchers

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Sound and Silhouette : Illustrating Man vs . Self in The Searchers

The Searchers was released in 1956 and stars John Wayne as Ethan Edwards , a man just returned from the Civil War . Shortly after his return his brother 's family is slaughtered and young niece kidnapped by Comanche Indians . Ethan spends the next 5 years in search of his niece and when he finds her he has to struggle with his own demons to spare her life when he sees she has assimilated to Comanche culture

. The central theme of the film revolves around the struggle of Ethan with his own demons and identity . The man versus himself theme is reinforced through a variety of film techniques , the most obvious being though the use of sound and silhouette . It is also highlighted through the idea and portrayal of the mythic journey

Sound is the first and most prominent technique used in the film . It is used symbolically to tell a message , to evoke emotion , to create suspense and change the mood . The opening credits are run along a brick wall with a song about a wandering man playing in the background Immediately we are given an impression of what the main character Ethan , is all about and that he has challenges to face . The song about being a wanderer describes the core of Ethan 's person and the brick wall is representative of the obstacles he will face as well as the wall he has put...